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5 Easy Steps To Stop Your Puppy From Chewing
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You got your new
pet almost a week ago. In that time, the little beast
has eaten three pairs of shoes, four of your favorite Stephen King novels
( He left Cujo alone… Maybe he is a fan too? ), gnawed the trim around the
bathroom doorway, chewed thru the power cord of your laptop and, just this
morning, you found him gleefully chewing up your wallet with a side order
of your
credit
cards. This is getting expensive really fast and
starting to get dangerous for the pup also. Maybe it’s time we intervened? So how do we handle this situation? Once again, we want to be sure our young charge is healthy to begin, so off to the vets office if you haven’t been recently. There is a medical condition that can cause chewing in pups aside from the normal tendencies they have of chewing to explore their world. This illness is called Pica and causes your pet to eat non-food items in an attempt to deal with nausea. So please visit your veterinarian and make sure your animal has a clean bill of health. The next step involves understanding that, while chewing is a normal and healthy part of any pup’s development, it has acceptable and unacceptable outlets. Puppies learn about their world thru chewing much the same as human children. They use their senses to explore the new world, which lies before them and their tactile sense, and sense of taste is brought into play as they chew on various objects. Much like human children, pups also need our protection from the dangers that lurk in their explorations. Electrical cords, needles, poisonous houseplants and household chemicals, even chocolate, all pose very real threats to your pet. It is your duty to protect the animal from these dangers. Consistent training with the “NO” command can do this. No is a word your dog should learn early and respond to instantly. This one word has saved many dogs from many horrible fates. The pup is trained by repeatedly using the “NO” command every time a situation occurs. If you pet is caught chewing on your shoes, say “NO” in an affirmative tone and take the item from the animal. Do not let it become a game of tug-o-war. Rather, remove the item quickly or back up your “NO” with a spray from a water bottle, a loud clapping of the hands or a light but convincing tap on the nose. This little diversion is usually enough to make a dog lose interest in whatever they may have been chewing on. Also, do not give chase to an animal chewing on an undesirable selection of chew toy. The will interpret this
action to be a game and they will be most happy to play for hours on end.
Instead, calmly work your way towards the animal and then remove the
object. For items that are habitually mistreated, a chemical additive such
as Bitter Apple may be in order to impart a foul taste to the item and
make it unpalatable for the animal to chew on. Crate Training is also
effective to stop chewing behavior and we shall discuss this course at
length in later articles.
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Call: (914) 523-0813 Copyright 2005-2006 Club Canine, Inc
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